Jackson's words and music also rang through the courtroom as a lawyer for plaintiff Katherine Jackson tried to show jurors his loving relationship with her and his children.

Jackson's praise for his mother brought tears to her eyes as she sat in court.

While Jackson's song, "You Are My Life," filled the courtroom, jurors watched footage of a Christmas morning when he gave his children a dog.

Jackson died in June 2009 from an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol. A year later his mother filed the negligence lawsuit against AEG, claiming the company failed to properly investigate a doctor who was giving propofol to him. The former physician, Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and remains jailed.

AEG has denied any wrongdoing.

Paramedic Richard Senneff - one of the first people to respond to Jackson's home on the day he died - was the trial's first witness.

As he did at Murray's trial, he described Jackson's bedroom and the frantic moments spent trying to revive him.

In opening statements, attorneys read emails describing the singer as unhealthy and in need of serious intervention.

A defense attorney for AEG Live at one point flashed a slide listing 45 medical professionals. He said Jackson had consulted with each of them over the years and requested doses of propofol from some.

Murray, AEG and Michael Jackson were part of an intricate puzzle that plaintiff's lawyer Brian Panish said he intended to piece together for the jury in the coming weeks.

He told the panel that AEG, motivated by its desire to overtake a competitor, created a conflicted situation for Murray in which he chose a huge payday over properly caring for Jackson.

The company also ignored Murray's troubled finances and Jackson's string of health problems as he prepared for a series of comeback concerts titled "This Is It," Panish said.

"They didn't care who got lost in the wash," Panish told the jury. He repeated the adage, "the show must go on," to describe AEG's actions toward both Jackson and Murray.

Defense attorney Putnam countered that the company couldn't have known Jackson was using propofol or the depth of his addiction. He said Jackson hid the drug abuse from his family, and medical professionals were barred from telling anyone about it due to doctor-patient confidentiality.

Putnam told the panel that it was Jackson who wanted Murray's treatments, and the singer ultimately was responsible for his own death.

"This case is about personal choices," Putnam said. "Also, it was about his personal responsibility. There's no question that Michael Jackson's death was a terrible tragedy. I believe the evidence will show it was not a tragedy of AEG Live's making."